


Home Is

by LessAttitudeMoreAltitude



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Gen, Post-Rebels, post-sequels, pre-sequels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-29
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-09 23:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18648472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LessAttitudeMoreAltitude/pseuds/LessAttitudeMoreAltitude
Summary: Snippets of Ezra's fate post-Rebels, from his relationship to Thrawn to his return back to the Galactic Center.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I would have loved to write an entire fic based on this premise, but I know I'll never get the chance to. So in celebration of the upcoming May the Fourth, I'm posting the few snippets I have in my head. Honestly, if anyone wants to take my headcanon and run with it, go right on ahead. I'll probably be done posting before May 4th since I'll be gone the 3rd/4th.
> 
> I have sequel characters listed and they'll be featured in the 2nd and 3rd parts of this, but the focus is more on Ezra Bridger.

“You want me to _what?”_

Thrawn raised an eyebrow, as if he was genuinely surprised by Ezra’s incredulity. “I fail to see why my request is so astonishing.”

Ezra’s mouth opened and closed silently as he struggled to respond. “You want me to _train your daughter?!”_

“That is the request I made, yes.” Thrawn folded his hands in front of him, resting them on the desk. “It is becoming increasingly clear that Ni’rada needs guidance. As you know, the Force is an enigma I have never fully grasped, despite my research and our many illuminating conversations. I cannot help her with her… gifts.”

Ezra rubbed his temples as an aching pressure built up inside his skull. After years of insulting the Jedi, dismissing the notion that the Force was everywhere, influencing all living things… Thrawn was going to trust Ezra with his child?

Wait, was Ezra actually considering doing this? Was he actually considering training Ni’rada - the daughter of the man responsible for so much pain and suffering on Lothal - in the ways of the Force?

“Commander Bridger,” Thrawn looked pensive. No, he looked _nervous_. “I cannot force you train Ni’rada. However, it is my understanding that the Jedi way does not belong to any single individual. It is not the purview of a single side of any ideology. All those who are sensitive to the Force are welcome - even encouraged - to practice the Jedi way lest they fall to a darker path.” He leaned forward, looking Ezra straight in the eye. “Will you teach Ni’rada? In the same way Kanan Jarrus taught you?”

Damn him. Damn him and his emotional blackmail. But Ezra knew that Thrawn was right. And he also knew that it was what Kanan would have done. After all, Thrawn's sins were not Ni’rada’s. She deserved the chance to become a Jedi Knight like Ezra. Like Kanan had been.

“Alright, Thrawn. I’ll do it.”


	2. Chapter 2

 The tall Pantoran-looking woman had eerie red eyes with short, almost shimmering, grey hair. She was regarding the four of them with suspicion, holding her staff at the ready. And her staff wasn’t any ordinary weapon. Each end hummed with the song of a kyber crystal, yellow plasma blades protruding from each end.

Rey couldn’t help the stab of envy at the sight of it.

“Who are you?” the woman demanded. “How did you _get_ out here?”

“We could ask you the same!” Finn replied, his blaster pointed at the woman.

Poe put a hand on Finn’s arm. “We’re a part of the Resistance against the First Order,” Poe said. “We were escaping when our Navi-Computer malfunctioned. That’s how we ended up out here.”

“Also, _where_ exactly are we?” Rose asked, still pointing her blaster pistol at the woman.

The woman regarded each of them carefully, particularly Rey, who had her lightsaber ignited. The woman frowned. “You’re a Jedi?”

Rey nodded, her body relaxing. She could tell that whoever this was, she didn’t want to fight. Not unless she had to. “I’m Rey,” she introduced, turning her lightsaber off. She pointed to the others. “This is Finn, Rose, and Poe.”

One by one, they all relaxed and lowered their weapons. The blades on the woman’s staff went out. “I’m Ni’rada,” she said carefully. “As for where we are… Our best guess is some planet in the Unknown Reaches.”

“Your best guess?” Finn echoed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means we don’t know where we are. Our colony has been marooned on this planet for over thirty years.”

“Great. That’s just great…” Poe murmured.

At the moment, Rey was less concerned about the fact that they were lost and more interested in Ni’rada. She didn’t seem any older than Rey, but she was a Jedi too? “There’s another Jedi out here,” Rey said softly.

Ni’rada considered Rey for a moment before nodding. “My master, yes.”

Rey’s chest filled with excitement. When she felt Luke fade into the Force, she thought she would be on her own. That there would be no one left to teach her. “Are they here? Can I meet them?”

Ni’rada sighed. “Well, I’m guessing you guys are not going to want to stay out here in the wilderness. There are some nasty creatures out here.” She slung her staff across her back. “Come on. I’ll take you to our colony.”


	3. Chapter 3

They only made it a few klicks before they were surrounded by giant, aggressive, mammalian creatures. They had somehow managed to surround them, hissing and snarling with their sharp teeth bared.

Ni’rada grit her teeth. “Anolos! Don't make any quick movements!”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Poe said, gripping his blaster tightly.

“And don’t shoot them! You shoot one and all the others will be on us in a second.”

“Good to know…”

The anolos growled and slowly crawled closer to them. Rey was desperately looking for a way out. She and Ni’rada could easily jump over these creatures' heads to safety, but that would just leave the others behind at the creatures’ mercy.

“Uh, a plan for getting out of this would be great right now…” Finn said.

Suddenly, all the of anolos moaned, their bodies relaxing as they stopped hissing. They slowly stepped back from them.

Rey frowned, something humming in the back of her head. She turned to find the source, only to find a man standing outside the circle of anolos, his arm outstretched. He had dark but greying hair which was tied in a loose bun on the back of his head. He wore a cobbled together armor set that was yellowed and scratched from use and time. He slowly stepped towards them, the anolos moving out of the way and making a path. Soon, the animals dispersed without so much as another peep.

“What the hell just happened?” Rose asked incredulously.

Ni’rada relaxed upon seeing the newcomer. “Everyone…” She put her staff on her back as she walked up to him. “This is my master, Ezra Bridger.”

Rey’s chest fluttered and filled with excitement. He was a Jedi, of course! “Y-You told those creatures to go away with the Force!”

“Not… exactly, though I suppose it would look that way…” Ezra frowned, looking over each of them.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” Poe suddenly blurted. “Ezra Bridger? Liberator of _Lothal,_ Ezra Bridger?!”

“The what-now of Lothal?” Ezra echoed.

“Aunt Hera told me all about you!” Poe exclaimed. “How you led the fight against the Empire on Lothal, summoning purrgil and launching yourself into space with the entire Seventh Fleet…!”

Ezra’s eyes widened, his blue eyes bright against his dark tanned skin. “H-Hera…?” he whispered.

Poe’s shoulders dropped, as if realizing something. “Oh gods, you’re actually _alive_.”

Ezra looked at each of them carefully before stepping to the side. “Come on. Obviously we have a lot of talk about…”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezra's Return

They walked down the ramp off their ship where a Resistance trooper instructed them to follow her. “The Admiral wishes to speak with you.”

Ezra stayed to the back of the little group. This was all just so surreal to him. He was back… He was really back…

And nothing had changed.

They had just been saved from a First Order contingent, jumping to some unknown point in space. He felt like he was walking on Sato’s Imperial vessel they had taken from Ryloth. Troopers everywhere of various races and backgrounds, overworked, but determined.

Everything they fought for nearly forty years ago, everything they had lost… And the galaxy was no different. Ezra’s heart was heavy. Kanan’s death, his sacrifice… Had it been for nothing?

As they followed the trooper through the hanger, one ship suddenly caught Ezra’s eye. And it made him stop in his tracks.

It took a moment for Ni’rada to realize he had stopped following them. “Ezra…?” she said softly, looking back at him as the others continued walking. She followed his gaze. “What is it?”

Ezra swallowed down the lump in his throat. “That’s… That’s the  _Ghost_.”

Ni’rada’s eyes widened slightly. “You mean the ship you grew up on?”

Ezra nodded numbly, a fine tremor running through his body. If the  _Ghost_  was here…

The others completely forgotten, Ezra walked towards it. All the noise in the hanger fell away, and even though the ship was clearly powered down, Ezra could hear the  _Ghost’s_  hum.

When he got to the base of the ship, he could only stare at it. It looked exactly the same. A few scores here and there, but otherwise in immaculate condition. Same paint job, even.

Ezra’s eyes wandered downward. He walked up to the control panel and activated the ramp. It wasn’t locked down.

_“You wanna ride?”_

Swallowing hard, Ezra slowly ascended the ramp, his footsteps echoing loudly in the empty ship. There were some storage containers in the loading dock, but nothing else. He ran his hand against the wall.

_Ezra let out a grunt as he was shoved back into the empty containers, the stack of them easily falling over. “Hey! No fair!”_

_“Hey, **you’re**  the one who wanted to spar  **me** ,” Zeb said with a grin. “I told ya I wouldn’t go easy on ya.”_

_Ezra thrust an arm forward, and Zeb yelped as he was thrown back. “Hey!” he barked._

_“What?” Ezra said with a smirk. “If you’re allowed to just pick me up and throw me, then it’s only fair that I can throw you too!”_

The barest of smiles donned Ezra’s face at the memory. Zeb really had been like an older brother to him. Much much older brother.

He continued walking until he got to the  _Ghost’s_  central ladder. Looking up, he started to climb. Little bits and pieces of memory kept bubbling up inside of him. Echos, whispers… All from a lifetime ago.

Swinging off the ladder, the door in front of him whooshed open automatically, revealing the crew’s quarters. Trembling slightly, he walked down the hall when the smell of fresh paint suddenly hit him.

_“New portrait?” Ezra asked, leaning in the doorway._

_“Yup,” Sabine said. “Though I’m still keeping the old one…” She pointed to the family portrait that was above her top bunk._

_It’s been two years since she made that one. Ezra leaned in, taking a look at her new piece in progress. Her style had definitely changed. Ezra may not know the fancy names for art things, but he could tell that it was much more realistic now. It was certainly a far departure from the cartoony depiction of Ezra crushing Zeb that still adorned their cabin._

_“You’ve gotten really good,” Ezra noted._

_She raised an eyebrow at him. “Gotten?”_

_“I-I mean, you’ve always been good!” he said quickly. “It’s just…” He cringed, trying to think of a good way to put this. “Your pictures of us are a lot more realistic looking now.”_

_Sabine sighed and nodded. “Yeah…” she said sadly._

_Ezra frowned. “What’s wrong?”_

_She shook her head. “It’s nothing, Ezra. Don’t worry about it.”_

Ezra sighed. He never did find out what was making Sabine so melancholy. Although it likely had to do with the escalating war. They had still been on Chopper Base at that point. It seemed that every other day, friends and colleagues were dying. There had always been danger, but in the early days… things seemed easier. Lighter.

He walked passed his own room without a second glance, but when he saw Kanan’s room, the door closed, something in his chest clenched painfully. He paused in his footsteps. Then he stepped over and opened the cabin door.

_Ezra gripped the lightsaber tightly, his arms folded across his chest. He looked over at Kanan, who was sitting on his bunk. Kanan got up and Ezra fixed his eyes eyes to the ground as he hesitantly stepped inside. He still wasn’t sure of this. After all, he barely knew these people._

_But there was something about Kanan. Something he couldn’t really put his finger on. He seemed… almost familiar. As if he already knew him, although that was obviously impossible._

_They stopped once they were standing in front of each other. Ezra looked up at him, hesitantly offering Kanan his lightsaber back._

_Kanan took it, looking at it for a moment before smiling at Ezra and putting a hand on his shoulder._

_Ezra kept his arms crossed, but his shoulders relaxed. He couldn’t help but smile at the comforting touch. Something in him warmed, and he knew he had made the right decision._

Ezra stared at the empty room. The air was stale, and it was just as empty as when Ezra had first broken in. Except this time there was no hum, no song from the crystal in Kanan’s lightsaber. There was just… nothing.

His eyes burning he stepped back, letting the cabin door close. He turned towards the cockpit. He remembered back to his first nights on the ship. He couldn’t sleep. Not with so many strangers nearby, and especially not with Zeb’s snoring. So he would wander the ship during the sleep cycle. Finding all its nooks and crannies, learning the layout…

He stepped forward and the cockpit doors opened. He walked in and they closed behind him. Right now, the Ghost was simply looking out into the hanger. But he remembered one night when they were orbiting a gas giant. Ezra had ended up here, in the cockpit, sitting in the co-pilot’s chair as he stared out at the colorful planet. Ezra put a trembling hand on the seat.

The door opened behind him.

_Ezra jumped, spinning in his seat to see Hera walking in. “Hera!” He jumped up. “S-Sorry. I-I just…!”_

_“It’s alright,” she assured, sitting in the pilot’s seat. She waved back at the co-pilot’s seat. “Go ahead.”_

_Swallowing, Ezra hesitantly sat back down._

_“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked._

_Ezra shook his head, crossing his arms across his chest as he looked back out at the planet._

_Hera also looked out the viewport with a smile. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”_

_He nodded. “I never thought I’d see stuff like this. I… never thought I’d ever get off of Lothal. Not really.”_

_Hera chuckled. “Most people don’t. It’s why so many people become pilots. It’s an excuse to get out and see the galaxy.”_

_“Is that why you became a pilot?”_

_“Partially…” she said softly. “Honestly, I feel more at home up among the skies and stars than I ever do on the ground.”_

_Home. Ezra looked downward. He hasn’t had any home in… well, years. He supposed the tower counted, although it never felt like it. It was just a relatively safe place to hide._

_There was a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see Hera’s bright green eyes gazing at him sadly. He shrugged her off. He didn’t want her sympathy. “Sorry,” he mumbled._

_Hera sighed, putting her hand back in her lap. “For what?”_

_“For coming in here without your permission.”_

“Ezra?”

_“Ezra, you don’t need to apologize. This is your home now.”_

Ezra turned, his shoulders trembling as saw her.

_“It will be, for as long as you need it to be.”_

Hera’s eyes filled with tears. She was older, her skin paler and more wrinkled than Ezra remembered. But it was still her.

His own vision blurred as he managed to smile. “Hera…”

Before he could say any more, Hera had him wrapped up in a fierce hug, a hand on the back of his head as she pressed her cheek to Ezra’s cheek. Ezra returned the embrace, trembling as he held her tightly. “I-I’m home…” he croaked, choking on tears.

“I’m home.”


End file.
